Valentine II: Romeo Time
by Celli
Summary: Who would've thought that losing a little blood could lead to such a life-altering decision? Second in a three-part series.


Romeo Time  
by Celli Lane  
  
Feedback: Positive or negative both welcome. celli@fanfiction.net  
Pairing: Harm/Mac  
Category: Story, Romance  
Rating: PG-13  
Series: A sequel to "Blood Drive," available at my website:   
http://www.geocities.com/hcdoom/  
Spoiler: Nothing explicit except a reference to "The Measure of Men," but anything that's aired in the US is fair game. Takes place shortly after "Head to Toe."  
Summary: Who would've thought that losing a little blood could lead to such   
a life-altering decision?  
Archiving: Just let me know where so I can come visit it.  
Disclaimer: If JAG belonged to me, Tiner wouldn't have to wear that stupid sailor uniform. Okay, maybe that's if the Navy belonged to me. Regardless, all these guys belong to DPB, Paramount, and CBS.  
  
***  
  
14 FEB 2002  
2330 ZULU  
NORTH OF UNION STATION  
WASHINGTON, DC  
  
Harm walked in his door, leaned back against it, and groaned. "...you moron,"   
he muttered. "Complete moron."  
  
He dragged himself upright and headed for the bathroom. "It wasn't bad enough   
you have a little problem with needles. No, you had to demonstrate it by passing out in the middle of the damn bullpen!  
  
"And then you over-reacted to...to whatever look Mac was or wasn't giving you."   
He splashed a handful of water on his face and down his uniform jacket.   
"Ah...moron!" he repeated in disgust as he yanked at his clothes.  
  
When the doorbell rang a few minutes later, Harm fastened his jeans and grabbed   
the first sweater that came to hand. He raced barefoot to the door.  
  
"Mac!"  
  
"Hi there." She was wearing a red, form-fitting sweater and jeans and carrying a jacket. "Can I come in?"  
  
"Oh! Absolutely." Harm stepped back to let her in, shaking his head slightly to clear it. He should have kept his face in the water longer. A lot longer. "I'm sorry, I just got home."  
  
"Harm! You told me when I left that you were on your way out." Mac looked like she was trying with all her might not to scold him. He appreciated it.  
  
"I was. I mean, I meant to, I mean--" He took a deep breath and started over. "I got distracted and lost track of time, that's all."  
  
Mac sat down on the couch. "It's a good thing I came over, then."  
  
"Why did you come over?" He perched on the edge of the couch. "This isn't exactly on the way home."  
  
"I was a little concerned."  
  
"I'm fine, really."  
  
"Harm." She looked him square in the eyes for the first time since she'd arrived. "Something's going on. You were acting...strangely this afternoon, and I don't think the blood loss was causing it."  
  
"How was I acting strangely?"  
  
"It was more, I don't know, personal."  
  
Harm stiffened. "Is this going to be another one of *those* conversations?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You know. *Those* conversations." He ticked the steps off on his fingers. "We try to work out our personal relationship. Things get emotional. Whatever I say comes out completely wrong. You get offended. One of us leaves."  
  
Mac seemed to shrink in her seat. "Oh, one of those conversations." She sighed. "I guess not." She stood up and reached for her jacket.  
  
*Or you could just jump right to the end,* Harm berated himself. "Wait, Mac. I'm sorry. Please don't go."  
  
She sat on the very edge of the couch, still holding her jacket. Harm took a deep breath. He sat down next to her and laid a tentative hand on her shoulder. "Let's try this again, okay? Thanks for coming over. I appreciate it."  
  
"Sure." She was still looking wary. "Uh, where's Sergei?"  
  
"He had a date. Someone he met at the INS, do you believe it?" Harm couldn't help but smirk as he imitated his brother. "'After all, Harm, it is Valentine's Day. Is that not a national holiday in your country?' He also told me not to expect him back tonight."  
  
Mac was smiling. "Good for him. I'd just about forgotten what day it was."  
  
"Really?"  
  
She shrugged. "I was trying not to think about it."  
  
"Sure." The awkwardness was back; it was reflected in Mac's expression and in this pit of his stomach. "So. Ah." He took another deep breath and--"I was acting weird, huh?"  
  
"Well..." He watched her struggle for words. "You were looking at me," she said simply. "You usually don't look at me that way at work. You save it for one of--" she gestured--"*those* conversations."  
  
"You were looking at me the same way." His voice had dropped to a near-whisper. He couldn't believe they were actually talking. He was terrified he was going to say something wrong; he could barely force words out. "The same way."  
  
He had no memory of putting his arms around her, but she was practically in his lap, and her arms were around him too. "Harm, I asked you once what you were willing to give up for me."  
  
"Yeah, and you didn't stay long enough to hear the answer." They were too close now, physically and emotionally, for hiding. Harm knew the pain he felt was obvious.  
  
Hers was too. "I was afraid. When you couldn't answer right away, I--"  
  
"Shh." Harm pressed his lips to her cheek. "I have an answer for you now. Do you want to hear it?"  
  
"I...I hope so." He could feel her lips trembling slightly against his ear.  
  
"Okay. Stay here." He untangled their limbs and pressed her back against the couch. "Stay here," he repeated. "I have to get something."  
  
He could hear her bewildered, "Harm?" as he dashed into his bedroom.  
  
He was back a moment later to find her ramrod-straight on the couch. He knelt in front of her. Her hands were clasped together tightly; he took one of them and placed something in it.  
  
Mac looked down and traced the gold wings with one finger. "Harm..."  
  
He closed her hand around the pin and covered it with his own. "I would give up anything for you, Sarah. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that before." He managed a half-smile. "I'm not sure I knew myself until just now."  
  
Her eyes were bright. "I would never ask you to stop flying."  
  
"I know. And I don't want to." He bent his head to press a kiss to her fingers. "But if I had to, I would. If I have to leave JAG, I will." He felt a hand come up to caress the back of his neck.   
  
"What do I say to that?"  
  
Harm raised his head until they were nose-to-nose. "Whatever you want."  
  
She kissed him--a full-blown, open-mouthed, passionate kiss. By the time she pulled away from him, Harm's brain had all but shut down. He gasped for breath. "Or you could not say anything."  
  
She laughed and kissed him again.  
  
  
***  
  
Harm knew intellectually that having sex with someone for the first time, even   
when you cared so much about them, wasn't supposed to be the last reel of a porn   
film or the last chapter of a romance novel. It took time and patience and   
skill to find your way with a new lover.  
  
Making love with Sarah shattered all those preconceptions. It was as if the   
gods of intimacy knew that everything was balanced precariously as it   
was; that given the slightest opportunity to step back, they would, and their   
new relationship would be over before it had started.  
  
Or maybe it was just five years of friendship, of teasing, of arguing, of   
protecting each other revealing themselves for what they were: a heck of a lot   
of foreplay. He smiled into the dark. "You were right about one thing, Sarah."  
  
"What?" She was curled into the pillow next to him. He could feel her lips   
move on the side of his neck.  
  
"You do have great timing."  
  
He could feel her laugh, too.  
  
----the end--  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: I'd like to dedicate this story to the people at fanfiction.net,   
who were overwhelmed with traffic at 2AM, so I had to finish my story instead of   
reading other people's fic. Let's hear it for bandwidth problems! I'd also like to thank TJ Mallon, who's probably never heard of me in her life. :) She is the keeper of the "Dress Whites and Roses" page (http://dresswhites.server101.com/index.htm), which was an invaluable reference. And, as always, thanks to my beta readers: Jen and AeroGirl (who provided the summary, yay!).  
  
Story Notes: The title comes from military shorthand for the Eastern time zone. Stay tuned for yet *another* sequel...these people just won't shut up once you get them started, will they? 


End file.
